Friedrich v. Bernhardi. "Germany and the Coming War". Berlin, 1913 (6th edition) (p. 345). Preface to the 6th edition dated February 1913.
A typical military book, lamenting the spirit of peacefulness among Germans etc. etc. The author frequently cites his two-volume work on contemporary war.
Glorification of war, its necessity ("creative and purifying force": p. 9)... [Chapter I. "The Right to War"; Chapter II. "The Obligatoriness of War".]
Bewailing the fact that Germany backed down in the Morocco incident, ceding to France (p. 17 and others).
"Christian morality is a personal and social morality and by its very essence can never be political" (24-25).
Hatred of the social-democrats: they supposedly "are on principle for lies and slander" in party struggle (32). They supposedly "are for revolution" (73)... (idem, 75)
| Hegel, Luther for war etc. |
..."The Germans have absolutely no revolutionary spirit, despite all the empty declamations of social-democratic instigators. Their entire nature propels them along the path of healthy, lawful development"... (80)...
Germany does not have secured colonies (markets) such as England has (89)...
Chapter 5. "World Power or Ruin"...
Italy in 1912 again joined the "Triple Alliance," but one can hardly count on her in case of war (96)... (idem, 180).
We must support Austria in her Balkan policy and endeavor to seize Tunisia for Italy (97).
Russia is shaken by revolution (100) - "the army is unreliable" (100) etc., Russia hardly wants an offensive war with Germany (102)...
France is not dangerous to England because of population stagnation in France (107) and the saturation of her expansionist aspirations (107) etc.
NOTEBOOK "ξ" ("XI")
If Italy withdraws... "then it would become possible to create against Germany and Austria a very considerable superiority of forces" (114)...
We are threatened from land and from sea (115) - we live in a latent but great crisis (115). This must be borne in mind, this "is obscured... by the deceptive play of diplomatic intrigues and the official peacefulness of all states" (116).
We must settle accounts with France at any cost. "France must be so decisively defeated that she can never again stand in our way" (118).
Belgium... is neutral, but France and England will seek to unite their forces in her (123) - "the concept of lasting neutrality contradicts the very essence of the state" (123)... "its highest moral aims"... (123)...
..."A whole year is required to manufacture a 30-centimeter gun" (141)...
Chapter 7: "The character of our coming war".
The forces of different states... Figures... France supposedly has "excellent black troops" (150) that might...
We have (with Austria), it is claimed, less (?) than France + Russia, and must make up for it in quality (156)...
Naval forces (according to "Nauticus"* from 1912) - the English fleet is more than twice stronger than ours (170).
Russia is protected by her size (176) - she cannot have a struggle for existence... the educated parts of the people are for revolution (ibidem), as in the Russo-Japanese War (177), a "unanimous national upsurge" is hardly possible (177).
Switzerland, Belgium, Holland (through the last two countries the French and English will go)... "neutrality is merely a paper barrier" (179).
England strives to destroy our fleet (184 and following. Chapter 8: "The Coming Naval War")... She can
* Naval handbook. Ed.
paralyze our overseas trade (186)... Fortifies Harwich (189), builds a harbor at Rosyth and at Scapa Flow (191)... We must rely on the air fleet (195)... We must with all our strength strive to defeat the French fleet on land (196) - "war of extermination" (196) with France... "destroy France forever as a great power" (196).
Only victory on land will give us chances at sea (199)... Russia + France = 180 million population. Germany - 65 million (201)... Increase the army... the soldier is now subject to higher demands (205), line troops are more important... We must "advance" (206).
("Cadres," not "reserves," 210.) Quality is more important than quantity (213)... "in closed" ranks one cannot fight, the significance of personality grows, the significance of command diminishes (214)...
Particular importance of preparing the movement (and supplying) of large masses of troops, special tasks arising from this (226 and following). Detailed treatment of this from the military-technical side...
The significance of cavalry - reconnaissance and "covering" (235)...
"Fluidity" (mobility, flexibility) of organization is necessary (237)...
Prepare for the new, do not repeat the old (247 and following)...
Higher development of military [personnel] is needed - "lectures of a general scientific character" (267) - in military academies etc.
We (Germany) must conduct world politics (268, 269) - for this naval strength is necessary (Chapter 12: "Preparation for Naval War")... - at sea we cannot conduct an offensive, - defense of coasts etc.
Guns of 24 cm. "must be recognized as completely unsuitable for contemporary naval battle" (276)...
...The new naval law foresees the construction of 72 new submarines (277),.. the third squadron will be ready only in 1914 (278)...
Tsingtao must be better fortified (282)...
Sudden attack:
England 2-5. IX. 1807 on Copenhagen...
» 11-12. VII. 1882 » Alexandria
(Egypt)... Italy on Tripoli and Turkish ships...
NOTEBOOK "ξ" ("XI")
It was a mistake that we did not earlier "settle accounts" with France - pretexts could have been found (287): "I consider it the gravest error that German policy could ever have committed, that it did not reckon with France at such a time when the world situation was entirely favorable for us and we could have been firmly confident of success. There was certainly no lack of occasions for this" (287)...
The people's education must be more religious and patriotic, against the social-democrats (with their unpatriotic convictions: 291)... (Chapter 13)...
NB composition of troops > rural NB
"Even now only 6.14% of all military personnel born in Germany come from large cities, 7.37% - from medium cities, 22.34% - from small cities and towns, and 64.15% - from the countryside1), whereas the distribution of the population between city and countryside is quite different" (p. 292)...
1905: countryside 42.5%
small cities 25.5
medium » 12.9
large » 19.1
..."The rural population is most closely bound up with the army" (292)... the urban population, large strata of it "regard the army with downright hostility" (292)...
The beneficial effect of military education (the army supposedly does not divert the population from useful work, but educates it [this passage not in Chapter 13]))... factory work is harmful in many respects... the short working day is harmful (294)...
In Russia, it is claimed (unlike in Japan), the educated classes considered patriotism an obsolete concept etc. etc. - hence the defeatists (304)...
1) Count Posadovsky. "The Housing Question." Munich, 1910.
The government must keep the popular press in its hands (305)...
"I would consider it a good thing if all newspapers could be forced to print certain government communications so that readers would not receive such one-sided illumination of public relations as party newspapers provide" (306)... In "financial and political preparation for war" (Chapter 14) one cannot be guided by "petty-bourgeois viewpoints" (311)... one cannot yield to "the soft-hearted philanthropy of the age" (312)...
Military expenditures
National property and fleet
marks per capita marks per capita
In Germany = 5-6 thousand 16
France approx. the same 20
England 6-7 thousand 29
(p. 315)
Emigrants from Germany Unemployed members of workers' unions
20,000 (1908) 4.4%
England 336,000 (1903) 10%
France 11.4%
(p. 318)
Germany's economic growth is faster (316-7)... The people, spending about 5 billion marks a year on tobacco and spirits, could spend "several hundred million" (320) on defense of its honor, independence, and future.
Napoleon III in 1870 counted on an alliance with Austria (Archduke Albert's visit to Paris and a French general's visit to Vienna... 326), but he miscalculated... Postscript (1913) - our situation has supposedly worsened. The Balkan War, a blow to Turkey and the "Triple Alliance"... Lack of seriousness in hopes for peace with England... One must use England's "attempts at rapprochement" for better preparation (343)...
((The book itself was written in autumn 1911: p. 338)).
End
NOTEBOOK "ξ" ("XI")
